Get used to this phrase: there are no moral victories in the NBA. Of course, the last time I uttered that phrase it catapulted the Sixers to its best stretch of basketball this season. Here’s hoping it will do the same this time around.
Photo courtesy of Philly.com
As my brother wrote here, last night’s game was a chance to erase any lingering memories from the performance against the New Jersey Nets. While seemingly unlikely, the stars appeared to be aligning for a Sixers victory. With Kevin Garnett on the bench with the flu, last night was as good an opportunity as any to knock off the defending champs. And with 2:40 remaining in the fourth quarter and a five-point lead it appeared that the Sixers might do just that. But they were unable to put the proverbial nail in the coffin.
With six seconds left in the game, Andre Iguodala appeared to deliver the dagger with a fadeaway jumper from the top of the key despite Paul Pierce being draped all over him. Maybe it was the Philadelphia in me, but at that moment I turned to my fiancé and said: “The Sixers are going to lose this game.” Of course, my prediction turned out to be true. On a beautifully designed play (to go along with some terrible defensive communication), Paul Pierce lured the defense into the paint with dribble penetration. Meanwhile, Ray Allen slipped off a solid screen from Glen Davis to find his spot in the corner and calmly deliver the game-winner. Game. Set. Match.
A lot of Sixers’ fans will talk about the ability of the team to hang with the defending champs. I’m not buying it. This was a Celtics team missing its catalyst. It was a team that did not play its best game and was on the ropes for much of the contest. But the difference between the Celtics and Sixers was clear last night-a good team never lets its opponent off the ropes.
Sure, the Sixers did some things well last night, namely, made free throws and protected the basketball. But their shooting ills plagued them once again as evidenced by the 1-8 performance from beyond the arc. The team also failed to play consistently good defense. It is tough to beat an average team when they shoot 54% from the field—let alone an exceptional one like the Celtics. That defensive deficiency reared its ugly head on the final play when Ray Allen was inexplicably left alone in the corner. Analyze that play all you want, but the bottom line is it was a systemic breakdown in team defense. Thad overcommitted on the help of Paul Pierce and Sammy Dalembert was woefully slow on his rotation. Couple that with the fact that the team chose to ignore the instruction of Coach Tony DiLeo to switch on every screen and you can understand why Ray Allen was all by his lonesome.
The Sixers hung with the defending champs last night for the entire game. Two weeks ago they hung with arguably the best team of this decade in the San Antonio Spurs. In each case they came up empty and are now staring at a sub-.500 record. So if it helps you sleep at night, take solace in the fact that the Sixers are good enough to compete—I’ll wallow in the fact that good enough ain’t good enough.
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